Elizabeth Isaacs Showcase and giveaway

Interview with Elizabeth Isaacs, YA Author of the Kailmeyra Series

1 How do you balance teaching, family life, and writing?

The fact that I hate to sleep helps tremendously. :-) I average 4-6 hours of sleep a night, choosing to write first thing in the morning and again before I go to bed. My family is extremely tolerant regarding schedules and deadlines (thank heavens!), and that helps more than I can say. Also, I haven't watched TV in almost four years now. It is astounding how much I get done now that the television stays off.

2 Complete the sentence, When I'm not writing, I'm ______

Reading. Always.

3 Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser ... hands down. I've tried to plot things out, but a character will say or do something, and Boom! We're off the planned path and into unknown territory. I believe Robert Frost said it best when he said "no surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader".

4 How much time did you spend world building? Or was it something that came easily as you wrote the story of Nora and Gavin?

I get lost in world building. It's time consuming but so much fun to write! World building is tricky. Too much detail, the reader becomes bored with the tedium. Too little detail, the reader is confused. I see Kailmeyra as clearly as I do my own backyard. I only hope that I've found the words to do it justice.
5 Which character from your books would you pick to spend the day with?
I would love to spend the day with either Rune or Malachi.

6 If you could invite six authors to dinner, dead or alive, who would you pick and why?

Picking six authors through time is like taking a teaspoon from the ocean. There are so many incredible minds I'd love to know, but going chronologically I'd have to say:
John of Patmos (who wrote the book of Revelations in the Bible). It would be incredible to go verse by verse and see what exactly he meant and if he was writing literally or in code. And I'd also like to know who he was and if he was significant to other parts of the new testament.
Hypatia (the first female scholar of Alexandria). Quite a few of her works were known to be in the library that was destroyed. She was one of the greatest minds of her time, but is known more for the way she died. I want to sit and chat with her about what it was like to be a woman who wrote about mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy during that time.
Shakespeare -- I'd love to talk with him about his use of Christian beliefs and mythological creatures in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Makes for fascinating dinner conversation, doesn't it? 
Mark Twain -- I adore his wit and his ability to cut to the chase. It'd be great to get his take on the world today.
JK Rowling -- It would be fascinating to talk with her about how she grew as a writer through the process of creating Harry Potter. Too, I'm looking forward to her new novel, which is due out in the fall.
Maya Angelou--This is the one writer I admire above all others. Her words speak to my very soul.

Author's bio

Elizabeth Isaacs has her master's degree in music performance. Helping at-risk children with writing portfolios rekindled her love of the artform. She created the Kailmeyra series after her daughter started a discussion about a world without evil.  She lives with her two children in Kentucky and continues to teach. The final book in the series The Heart of the Ancients, Kailmeyra's Redemption is slated for release in the spring of 2013.

Elizabeth has been very kind as to offer our readers a chance to win a copy of book two of the Kaylmeira Series: The Secret of the Keepers. So follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter :)


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